Water Questions

What type of water should I use to brew?The general rule is: if your water is OK to drink, it is OK to brew with. Some people like to use bottled water but tap water is OK as long as it is going to be boiled in your brew kettle. Distilled water is actually not good unless you plan on adding your own minerals.

How important is water treatment?Not very important. Unless your water has a really crazy mineral profile I wouldn’t worry about it. If you’ve been brewing for 10+ years and have really nailed down the other aspects of brewing, then by all means start fussing with your water.

My recipe calls for gypsum, brewing salts or some other chemical that I couldn’t find; can I still brew my beer?Yes. Those types of additives have a very minor affect on the taste of your beer. Can they help improve the flavor? Sure. Will you think the beer tastes lousy without them? Nope.